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Tia Roqaa and Roccabox

Tia Roqaa and Roccabox

Introducing the newest instalment of our Business Success blog series. Last month we interviewed Vincent Efferoth and delved into the story of his alcoholic tea blends. Today, we’re speaking with female entrepreneur Tia Roqqa, founder of Roccabox, the inspiring beauty subscription service that caters for busy women. From collaborating with beauty influencers to being named as a finalist at the English Women’s Awards, we discuss the success of beauty members club’ Roccabox.

What’s the Story of Roccabox in a Nutshell?

I love beauty products, but I always found myself making the wrong purchases when out shopping in town! I wanted to create Roccabox so people could try out products without paying through the nose for them and it being a waste. I also wanted to give women who are too busy to shop the opportunity to get a treat and a surprise!

How do you Stand Out from the Competition?

We are an independent business rather than a big power house, so everything I do is done with thought and care. I wouldn’t want to send out a bad box, as it would reflect badly on our brand.

Tea or Coffee?

Coffee, always!

Who is your Business Role Model and Why?

I love Sophie and Hannah that founded Spectrum, they had a vision and they made it happen, they have a great company ethos and have a booming beauty business based in Wales, which is refreshing to hear when most big beauty companies are in London! (We are based in Leeds).

What is your Secret to a Productive Day?

I work to suit me, I get up (not early!) and check my emails in bed. Then I go to the gym and train to set my self up for the day. I only go to the office for a few hours (which is also my warehouse) and sort out any orders / emails etc. It’s a pretty chaotic environment with all the products and people, so after I have got all the essentials done, I then go back home and open up my laptop after dinner to work in a more relaxing environment, it helps me to concentrate and be more creative.

What Advice Would you Give to an Aspiring Startup Company?

If you believe in it, go for it! If it’s a product-based business be careful with how much stock you order initially as you don’t want to get stuck with something that doesn’t sell. I would recommend testing the market first with some social media and a landing page for people to show their interest, you can gauge from there how much to order and how your first few weeks or months might turn out.

What’s your Biggest Business Challenge?

When I first started Roccabox, it was a box curated by influencers. As you can imagine influencers wanted to be paid to collaborate, but most of the time the amount of revenue the influencers brought in didn’t come anywhere close to their fee so we had to drop this USP which was a shame, but imperative to keep the business going.

What will the Future Bring for Roccabox?

In 2018 we launched a series of one-off gift boxes, which are more premium and more of a purchase for someone else rather than yourself, like our monthly subscription boxes are, we will have a lot of those to come with some big brand partners and a new retail partner, which is very exciting!

If you would like to become part of our Business Success series let us know on Twitter at @viking_chat.